Dear Summer Interns,
It's almost time to say your temporary goodbyes to the real world, your colleagues, bosses, new friends, the doorman at your building, the guy that makes your iced coffee every morning, and return to the glories of living in a house with your 20 best friends, parties with endlessly flowing jungle juice, and an occasional paper or test.
You've been challenged this summer and you've made a mistake or two, but you've learned a lot, met some interesting people along the way, and maybe fallen in love -- or out of love -- with a career. This is the way it's supposed to be.
Before you say peace to your summer internship, there are a few things you need to do first:
- Leave with grace. Thank everyone for their help and make it personal. Your last impression is what we'll remember. Make sure to transition any projects that are underway and if you're working with external parties, send them quick a thank you note and let them know who to contact moving forward.
Nas, before your time, said it best: "Working with great people makes you great. You learn a lot and it also gives you the experience and confidence to move on with your own career." Surround yourself with great people, learn from your victories and failures, and never stop asking questions because before you know it, you'll be looking after interns of your own.
Work hard. Play hard. Have a great semester ... and have a beer back at school for me sometime.
My best,
Andrew
P.S. This is dedicated to a few people that have helped shape my career: Mark Mauldin, David Cheng, Michael Green, Brian Mandler and Teal Newland.